Clip description
Mr Neville (Kenneth Branagh) tells the police inspector (Roy Billing) that the three escaped girls must be following the rabbit-proof fence north, to their home. He devises a plan to catch them, sending police troopers down the fence from the north, and the tracker Moodoo (David Gulpilil) up from the south. In the desert, Molly (Everlyn Sampi) carries little Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) on her back. They find food with a fence workman (Ken Radley), who tells them they’re on the Number 2 fence. Until this moment, Molly hasn’t known there was more than one. Gracie (Laura Monaghan) realises immediately they are on the wrong fence. They have come west when they want to go north. The workman sends them in the right direction, but their detour has saved them from getting caught.
Curator’s notes
The movie uses all sorts of techniques to communicate the roughness of the country, and the heat and dryness, including very low and high angles, tilted horizons, shots aimed directly at the sun – all of which are evident in this clip. Sound is equally important in giving us the texture of the rocky ground, as when the car rumbles past loudly. Even the interior shots in Mr Neville’s office are shot at odd angles, to give a sense of disorder. He has accurate maps and the girls don’t, but even so, his men miss the girls on the fence because the country is far more deceptive than it appears on a map.